Eight Summer's Time
by Kaaera
Summary: PG just to be safe. Harry Potter disappeared the summer before his 6th year at Hogwarts, everyone knows that. One year later, who's this mysterious man that Hogwarts herself seems to listen to? AU SuperpowerHarry fic
1. Prologue

_A/n: I'm going to work on typing up my new story. I like this one. It's fun, I think, anyway. It's not done though. So updates might be really slow, because I really like to have stuff written out first in the notebook, and that can take a while with school. So… yeah._

_Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. (sadly.)_

Eight Summer's Time

Prologue

Raven-black hair fell in a messy tangle around the 15 year old's head, a sharp contrast to his deathly pale skin. He twitched and shivered in his fitful sleep, trembling silently. The small clock, red numbers glowing dully, continued to count the time as the boy sat up rapidly, heaving for breath. Vivid emerald eyes stared straight towards the wall for a moment, horror shining out of them. One thin, shaking hand rose and reached out, as if trying to touch something. Harry Potter's voice was shaky with tears and sorrow as he slowly let his hand fall.  
  
"He was just a little boy..." He stared at the wall while the clock's numbers flashed, 6 turning into 7. The shift, faint though it was, caught his attention and he turned to look at the numbers. His lips twisted in a wry smile at the time, 11:57. In three minutes he would be sixteen, and, thanks to his visions and Voldemort, he would be awake to see it. Hedwig hooted softly and shifted in her cage, turning her attention outside the small window. A group of birds drew close, dark against the near-full moon. The clock clicked again, from 7 to 8. The birds took on shape, forming into several seperate owls, each hauling along with them a package or a letter of some sort. Thin fingers pulled the window open, letting in a wave of fresh air. The owls swooped in one at a time to land on his bed, even as the clock marked another minute.  
  
Once all the owls were inside, Harry left the window, made room on his bed for himself, and began to take off the small box that Pig had carried all by himself. The digital numbers flicked to 12 o clock, midnight, of July 31st, and a bright light filled the room. Seconds later, as it cleared, the owls looked around, confused. There were no signs to show that the Boy-Who-Lived had been living in that room--the bed, which had been un-made and covered in bird droppings, was clean in less time then it took us to talk. His worn-looking trunk, having been at the foot of his bed just minutes ago, had disappeared at the same time, taking all the clothes, books, and even cakes from under the floorboard along with it. Even Hedwig was gone, which caused the other owls some worry for a moment. They exchanged looks, then flew off back to their owners, unable to deliver the messages. Pig struggled to stay aloft with the half-untied package.

Alarms went off all over the castle, shocking all the residents out of their slumber. Piercing whistles and wild sounds sent all the now-wide awake professors down to the Great hall. Albus Dumbledore, his yellow sleeping-robes seeming very out of place with his completely serious face, waited until everyone was in the Hall and more than ready for the sounds to stop. Only when the last professor had stepped inside did he let the doors swing shut and the noises silence. Heavy anti-eavesdropping and several strong silencing charms surrounded the room. There was no twinkle in the worried blue eyes of the Headmaster as he looked at his colleagues.

"Those alarms were the monitering charms on the dursleys, the wards, and harry Potter. The wards failed, the Dursleys suffered strong memory charms, and Harry has disappeared." Minerva clapped a hand to her mouth to cover her horrified exclamation. John Aldar, the DADA professor who was now going onto his second year, therefore breaking the so-called 'curse' on the job, leaned forward in worry.

"Did Arabella notice anything?" Albus shook his head.

"No; she didn't know anything was wrong until I firecalled her before coming down here." A few teachers sighed—it wasn't Death Eaters, or the kind Squip would have noticed and informed them. Her cats were wonderful spies when she asked them to be. Almost immediately, however, those few blanched as they realised what the rest had already figured out—if it wasn't the Death Eaters that had Harry, then who did? Albus shook his head and sighed.

"Any ideas what to tell the Ministry?" Slowly, words began to take shape as the professors overcame their shock and fear.

_There you have it. A very basic prologue. What do you think so far? Let me know if you're at all interested in finding out what happens next! (and if you think it's very stupid; well, let me know that too.)_

_Kaaera_


	2. Chapter 1 The Passing Years

A/N: Ahhh! I'm soooooooooo sorry! I would've continued this sooner, except I sort of lost the notebook that it was written in… heh heh… next time I need to remember to check all of my suitcases and bags. At least I found it! So, um… yeah. Don't hurt me!

And for everyone waiting for the next chapter of Picture A Pirate, it's being worked on. I don't want it to be too cliché or anything though, so it's taking a little time. Sorry!

This idea was pre-OOTP, too, so Umbridge didn't teach his 5th year.

I have to apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes; for some reason, the spell check won't work in the story (but it works just fine in the A/N here… mutter), so I have to do all the checking by 'hand', and I might miss something. If you find something really major, please let me know so I can fix it!

Hope this chapter makes up for the short prologue. This is 15 pages long (w/ A/Ns, but still!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm hoping to get it for my birthday though… it's coming up if you want to buy it for me. D

**Previously**

_"No; she didn't know anything was wrong until I firecalled her before coming down here." A few teachers sighed—it wasn't Death Eaters, or the kind Squip would have noticed and informed them. Her cats were wonderful spies when she asked them to be. Almost immediately, however, those few blanched as they realised what the rest had already figured out—if it wasn't the Death Eaters that had Harry, then who did? Albus shook his head and sighed._

_"Any ideas what to tell the Ministry?" Slowly, words began to take shape as the professors overcame their shock and fear._

**oOo**

Chapter 1

**oOo**

Light flared sharply as Harry reappeared _somewhere,_ with his trunk, Hedwig, and other belongings on the floor next to him. He looked around with wary emerald eyes, and shot backwards across the stone floor as he stared into a pair of onyx eyes. The owner of those eyes snorted softly, though with contempt, amusement, or both, Harry couldn't tell. A cool, amused voice broke through the boy's shock.

"Salazar, let up on the child." The black eyes flickered to the side, and Harry followed the man's—Salazar, he would guess—gaze to stare at another. Dirty-blond hair fell loosely about his face, making warm brown eyes look darker. He had a friendly looking visage, amusement plain to see. He wore a deep red shirt and black pants, which made him look almost normal. Harry's attention, however, was caught by something most definitely _not_ normal for London. Hanging at his waist from the belt was a familiar-looking sword. Emerald green widened as a memory gave a hint to the sword, and therefore the man's identity.

"You're Godric Gryffindor! Then that means—" He turned to look at the owner of the black eyes, who simply arched an eyebrow. Sleek black hair flowed back, just long enough to be held by a leather tie. His skin was pale, with sharp angles in his face. A light smirk crossed his face.

"Yes, I am Salazar Slytheirn." He looked about to continue, but a warm, motherly voice interrupted.

"Godric! Salazar! You haven't even informed him why he's here." Two women entered the room, immediately moving to Harry's side. One wore a soft yellow dress, her dark brown hair piled in a bun on her head as she knelt and began to look him over, checking for any injuries. The taller woman, once assured he was not injured, rose to her feet and fixed the two male Founders with a fiercesome glare.

"You know Jumping is a shocking experience if it's your first time and you don't know what's going on." The men at least had the decency to look ashamed. The dark blue clothes the woman wore made her light brown hair seem lighter as she ignored them and turned back to Harry. She smiled softly, a change from her angry demeanor just minutes ago. Harry returned it hesitantly as she began to speak.

"I assume you've figured out that I am Rowena Ravenclaw, and your helper there is Helga Hufflepuff, since you figured out that these two dunderheads are Godric and Salazar." Godric coughed, finding from somewhere in him an air of seriousness that leaked into his speech.

"We brought you here to help you train to defeat Voldemort. You'll never be able to do it with what they're teaching you—honestly, what good is knowing how to turn a water goblet into a flower when you need to fight?—and we, Salazar especially, don't want to see you die." Harry's eyebrows furrowed, and he turned to Slytherin.

"What? You want to kill your own heir?" Salazar allowed a soft smile to escape as he shook his head.

"Sadly, he is my heir—he could not have my gift otherwise—and while he has much of my blood, he is not my Heir." A confused look must have crossed Harry's face, because Godric interrupted his friend to explain.

"We're able to choose a main Heir based on their characteristics, personality, and potential, not how much of our blood they have in their veins. For example, Rowena had an Heir who was only about 1/64th Ravenclaw, even while there was another alive who was 5/8ths Ravenclaw. Do you understand now Harry?" At his slightly hesitant nod of the head, Salazar continued his story.

"As I said, Tom Riddle is not my Heir. There is another, and Tom learned of this. A young girl, no more then 16 and the first from her family to show the gift of magic in so many generations that she believed herself muggleborn, had traces of my blood. This girl was at Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's protection, so he could do nothing when he was informed of her Slytheirn blood. He could, however, deal with the rest of her Slytherin-blooded family—and he did. The older sister, staying at a friend's house that night, survived, but the rest died.

"The girl, terrified for her survival, asked Dumbledore if she could stay at Hogwarts for the summer. The son of a famous Auror, who kept the boy at Hogwarts so he would not be targeted by the Dark Lord, was also there. The two slowly became friends, getting to know each other. During their seventh year, they progressed past friendship. The pair waited a year once they were out of school before marrying. She had a child, one who had very faint Slytherin blood. Even with that, I claimed him as my Heir." He shook his head.

"I should have waited. If I had, Tom would have waited a few more years before wiping out this branch of the Slytherin blood—or so he thought, as he didn't remember the older sister. He should have known better then to attack my Heir. When he struck the babe with the Killing Curse, the mother's love and my power reflected it off the child and back to Voldemort, who lost most of the Slytherin blood when I used the curse to strip much of it from him. It caused Tom to lose his body for ten long years while the child grew up with his aunt." He looked at Harry with a thin smile, taking in the look of shocked surprise as the boy voiced his thoughts.

"Then you're…" When he was unable to go on, Salazar nodded.

"Yes Harry. Your mother carried my blood; I chose you for my Heir. We had to wait for your 16th birthday so that you wouldn't be harmed by Jumping." It was Rowena's turn to explain.

"You're not in your world anymore, Harry—in this world, we don't die or age past 45, which is why we can still be alive to talk to you. Jumping is how you get from one world to another. In this world, time flows faster—every eight years here is one year in your world." Finished with her explanation, she turned back to Salazar. The dark-haired man nodded to affirm her words.

"We'll train you for 8 years—1 in your world—and send you back to fight Voldemort in what would be your 7th year." Helga rested a hand on the shocked boy's shoulder and led him out of the room as the others brought his belongings.

"Come on Harry, we'll find you a room so you can absorb all of this." Only as they reached a winding stairs did Harry realise this place was much like Hogwarts, yet very different.

**oOo**

_about 8 years later…_

Harry smiled patiently and enveloped a teary Helga in his arms once more, meeting the amused eyes of his other mentors over her head desperately. Rowena laughed and took mercy on him, pulling the witch that had been his 'mother' for eight years away.

"Now now Helga, you wouldn't want to get his clothes all wet, would you?" She shook her head, causing the now-24 year old man to sigh in relief. He had changed drastically over the years full of hard training. No one would compare this sleek, well-toned tall man to the short, wiry boy of 16 years who did whatever the Headmaster wanted, no ifs, ands, or buts. The raven black hair was done in the style of his ancestor, though a little longer. The green eyes were no longer hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses, having been magically cured by a spell Rowena had dug out and used. The lightning bolt scar was faint, barely a white line, easily covered with Muggle makeup.

He was dressed in a tight fitting black t-shirt under a loose, dark green silk shirt, tucked into black trousers. A few long daggers and throwing knives hung at his side, his preferred weapons of choice. Salazar handed him two long leather holsters, the attached straps dangling. Harry smiled and attached each one to an arm, hidden under his sleeves. With a short gesture of his hand, three wands appeared in the air before him, hovering. He pulled two down and slid them into the wand holsters, leaving his original wand hovering. One of the new wands was 13 inches long, made of rowan wood and filled with basilisk venom. The other was a little shorter, at 12 ½ inches long, and made of living wood. The core held thousands of tiny emeralds, mixed with miniscule onyx spheres. They had been made during the 8 years for Harry.

Harry sighed and looked at his phoenix feather wand before plucking it out of the air and handing it to his ancestor.

"Keep it safe for me, will you Salazar? I'll Jump back here occasionally to visit." Salazar grinned and clapped the man on the shoulder.

"I'm proud of you Harry. You're exactly what I wanted my Heir to be." Harry smiled as Godric shoved Salazar aside and shook his hand.

"G'bye Harry. Don't desert your training—I fully expect to have to work in order to whip you in the circle." Harry laughed and returned the handshake.

"Who says you'll win?" The Gryffindor founder grinned and moved back, and patiently took hold of a still teary Helga, allowing Rowena time to say goodbye. The woman hugged Harry quickly, whispering in his ear.

"Never forget Harry—Dark and Evil are two different things. You are not Evil." Harry smiled his thanks as Salazar clapped his descendent on the shoulder again.

"Well Harry, it's time. Before you go, I'd like to present you with a name worthy of your status, for you're not a Potter anymore. We'll see you again, Damien Raven Slytherin." With that, Harry Jumped, his destination crystal clear in his mind.

In the few seconds between worlds that always occurred during a Jump, Damien ran over all that had happened in the last eight years. He had started training almost immediately. Wandless magic, advanced spells, how to control his Parseltongue, many forms of hand-to-hand combat, sharpened reflexes, weapons, horseriding (Helga said it was always best to be prepared), and much much more. Then he had the more normal things—Arithmancy, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions (something he discovered he was good at, with Salazar's help), Ancient Runes, History of Magic, and a mixture of Charms and Transfiguration. And in case that wasn't enough, Helga had insisted on the Muggle classes. That meant that, in eight years, he had physics, chemistry, history, English, biology, algebra, geometry, calculus, and what seemed like fourteen other subjects pounded into his brain, good enough for high degrees in all but history, since there was just too much from the Wiarding World for him to mix in lots of Muggle history as well.

Despite all the work, they still had time to just 'be', and that's when they became a family. Helga was the loving, worried mother, watching over all of them. Salzar and Godric were like brothers, while Rowena was the stern and understanding sister who would break up arguments and keep them all in line.

He had no more time to ruminate as he landed, a soft thud next to him marking the arrival of his bag of belongings and his trunk. Damien held out one arm, allowing the large bird that was flapping frantically to perch. The raven glared angrily at him, causing the man to chuckle, as an old snowy owl fluttered easily to land on the trunk.

"I apologise Karal. Are you alright?" Dark eyes pierced through the air to meet his gaze, and Damien nodded. Hedwig hooted lightly in amusement from her perch.

"Alright. Let's go—this isn't a place to just stand." He heaved the bird into the air, helped the owl take flight, and lifted his bag after shrinking his trunk, walking out into Knockturn Alley with the confident air of someone who shouldn't be messed with. Karal flew above him next to the aging Hedwig, silently following their friend.

Damien pausded near a store called 'Alexander's Dark and Dangerous Animals' and looked at the two birds. They seemd to sigh and found perches across the street, staring at the man. With a slight smile, he ducked inside the store. That smile quickly turned into a frown once he saw that yes, what he thought he had seen through the window was indeed happening. Four burly men strained against ropes to hold a huge snake straight and still, long enough to be hit with a curse from a wand that was beginning to glow green. Immediately, Damien strode forward, emerald eyes cold.

"Stop. What is going on here?" All the men looked up, though four of them looked down again immediately as the snake continued to struggle. The fifth stared at Damien.

"We're getting' rid o' it. No one'll buy the wild thin'." A cool, feral smile hovered on Damien's lips.

"I'll take it." The man stared.

"Y'don't wan' this one sir—ain't possible t' tame it." Daimen raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? What would you say if I could tame it, right here?" The man snorted.

"Then y'could have it fer free." With a smirk, the 24 year old moved past the burly men to the snake's head, crouching to eye level. Silently, they stared at each other for about a minute before Damien reached out with a hand and rubbed the snake's head scales. He met the shocked eyes of the store owner.

"I'll see you around." He met the snake's eyes again and held out his arm. The long, silver-grey snake wound up it to drape around his shoulders and neck. Without saying another word, he turned and walked out of the store. The men behind him stared, shocked. Alexander whistled slightly.

"I don' know who 'e was, lads, bu' I'd 'ave t' say we watch our step 'round the Snake Tamer…"

**oOo**

Damien grinned slightly, though it was hidden behind his cup of Fire Whiskey. News spreads quickly in a place like Knockturn Alley, and the snake certainly helped others identify him. He glanced down at the snake's head, which was currently resting on the table in front of him, with a thin smile as he remembered what had happened the other day after he left the shop.

_Flashback_

Karal and Hedwig winged slowly over head until they reached a side alley, much like the one they had appeared in. There Damien looked down at the snake, amusement in his tone as he spoke in parseltongue.

/Ssso, do you have a name/ He chuckled when a triangular head rose to stare at him.

/You ssspeak/ He smiled, even as he marked the voice as female.

/Yesss. My name is Damien Raven Sssslytherin./ Pale violet eyes widened slightly before the head bowed in respect.

/I am honored, Damien. My name isss Sssiltivi./ Damien smiled at Siltivi.

/The honor is returned, Sssiltivi. Now, if I may be ssso bold asss to asssk, what type of sssnake are you/ She chuckled lightly, distributing her weight more evenly on his shoulders.

/I am a Taigone sssnake. What thossse foolsss in the ssstore didn't realissse isss that I chossse my massster, not the other way around. They tried to forcsse my choicsse, ssso I fought them. I am glad to sssee my decsssisssion wasss a good one. I will eat virtually anything, but pleassse let me know if there issss sssomething I ssshould not eat. I will fight to protect you, or if sssomeone getsss on my nervesss. If what my clan taught me isss true, you and I will eventually have a mental link and a bond./ She fell silent, waiting for his reaction. It wasn't long in coming.

/Excssellant! Thank you for telling me Sssiltivi. Now I think we ssshould go create a reputation./ Siltivi hissed her amusement as they headed for one of the taverns.

_End Flashback_

Damien grinned again—they hadn't needed to make a reputation, just enhance it, and with Siltivi, it hadn't been too hard. He glanced down at the snake and smiled again. She was several feet long of almost solid muscles and scales, with poisonous fangs almost six inches long. The scales were a plain silver and grey, the mixture giving her a shimmering appearance. Add that to the fact she weighed over a hundred pounds, yet he carried her with no apparent strain or difficulty (he thanked the Founders for their training), and they made quite an intimidating pair. With a feral smile, he returned to his drink, waiting for the summer break to come to a close to he could go to Hogwarts to apply for a job, blissfully unaware that word of the Snake Tamer was making its way to the Headmaster himself.

**oOo**

Dumbledore looked up as Sirius Black's head appeared in his fireplace, the man's face drawn. It had been a year since his godson's death—or what they assumed was his death, since there had been no news at all—and it had clearly affected the convict. However, the man did his job of watching just as well, if not better. Albus smiled slightly.

"Hello Sirius. What can I do for you?" The head looked carefully at his friend.

"There's someone new at Knockturn Alley, Headmaster. Everyone calls him Snake Tamer—no one knows his real name, but the first day he arrived, he apparently tamed this really big and wild snake in minutes. I haven't seen the man myself, but I doubt he'll be hard to find—from what I've heard, the snake is always with him. What do you want me to do?" Albus thought for a minute, taking in all Sirius had said.

"Don't show yourself-you're still a fugitive, after all, and we don't know what he'll do. I'll send Severus to check it out tomorrow." Sirius nodded and disappeared from the flames as Dumbledore clapped his hands twice. With a small pop, a house elf appeared in front of the desk.

"Is Master Dumbly wanting something from Bumbles?" Albus smiled at the house elf.

"Yes Bumbles. Please tell Severus Snape I need to see him. That will be all." With a small bow, the hosue elf popped out of existence. Several minutes later, Severus entered the room. Unnoticed by both of the office inhabitants, four portraits opened one eye each to pay attention to the conversation.

"Severus, I've just had a firecall from Sirius. Apparently, there's a new person everyone is calling Snake Tamer at Knockturn Alley. He has a large snake that he carries with him; he apparently tamed it the first day there when it was going to be killed. Aside from that, we don't know anything about him, and Sirius can't follow him. I need you to go and find out what you can of this Snake Tamer." Severus frowned slightly, thinking over the information he had just been given.

"I don't know anyone who fits that description. You want me to see if there is any inclination of him joining Voldemort?" Albus nodded, and Severus sighed.

"I'll go tomorrow." The tall man swept out of the room, leaving Dumbledore behind. The Headmaster sighed and rubbed his temples lightly before standing and heading for the Deputy Headmistress's office to talk about this new development. In the office, the portraits of the Founders exchanged looks and withdrew for a conversation.

**oOo**

Damien looked up from his seat near the back of the pub he had become a regular in recently, The Darkened Door, as someone very large entered the building. He smiled, albiet a little sadly; here was Hagrid, his first friend—and the best information giver of the Wizarding World, once you got him drunk. With that thought, he rose, allowed Siltivi to resettle herself, and moved to sit at the bar next to the big gameskeeper. He took another sip of his drink and waited.

He didn't have to wait very long.

"Is tha' a Frearne snake?" Damien looked over in well-played surprise.

"No, she's a Taigone, but I can see why you might've thought Frearne. They do look a lot alike." He made a motion to the bartender with one hand, and pushed the glass of Fire Whiskey towards Hagrid.

"How did you know about the Frearne snakes? They're not very well known." Hagrid looked smug, even as he downed the drink and had it refilled.

"I'm the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, an' the groundskeeper a' Hogwarts fer several years now." He finished the mug again, his big gulp making it seem like he was drinking less. Damien passed a Galleon to the bartender with a slight hand motion towards Hagrid. The 'tender nodded, pocketed the coin, and began to keep Hagrid's cup filled. Damien smiled at the large man.

"I imagine you know almost everything that goes on at Hogwarts then, don't you? What sort of teachers have been there?" Hagrid beamed at the interest shown and launched into a detailed story on the professors of Hogwarts.

**oOo**

Two hours, four galleons, and who knows how many mugs of Ogden's Fire Whiskey later, Damein helped a happily singing Hagrid towards Diagon Alley. He left Siltivi near the entrance to Knockturn and pulled the half-giant down the street until they ran into an Auror, who seemed shocked. Damien smiled apologetically.

"I'm terribly sorry to ask this, but I'm late for a meeting. Can you bring this man to Hogwarts? I found him drunk at one of the pubs around here, and finally managed to find out he works at Hogwarts." When the Auror nodded slowly, Damien smiled in relief.

"Thank you! I've got to go now. Please help the man!" He turned down several side streets until he heard the tell tale pop of someone Apparating away. Whistling softly, he returned to Knockturn Alley and picked up Siltivi. As they headed for the small room where he was staying, he thought over what Hagrid had told him.

At Hogwarts, and the rest of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter was thought dead. Voldemort was fairly quiet—with Potter gone, he didn't feel goaded into action and was content to take his time. The Defense Against the Dark Arts position was once again open to interested parties—the previous teacher, who had managed two years, had just left to become an Auror. It was that open job postion that interested him most—it would be a good idea, in that he'd be able to warn the students of the coming danger, and work with the professors. As his head touched the pillow, his last thought before sleep claimed him was that he'd go apply tomorrow…

**oOo**

Severus Snape groaned into a cup of vodka, looking over the rim at the pub. He had followed the leads he'd gotten from inquiring on the Snake Tamer to this tavern, but he hadn't been able to find anything more on the elusive man. None of the pople he had asked in here knew where he was, but this was apparently the last place he'd been seen. He sighed and took another drink. At least he had learned when and where he showed up. He'd appeared in Alexander's Dark and Dangerous Animals shop four days ago, when he had tamed the snake. No one knew where he came from before that, or what his history was. He'd started to frequent this bar after that snake incident, but he hadn't shown up yet this day. With an annoyed scowl, and a request to the bartender to Firecall if the Snake Tamer showed up, he left the pub.

**oOo**

Dumbledore steepled his fingers and looked over his halfmoon glasses at the young man in front of him. Minerva had brought him in, a little warily, and whispered to him that this was a candidate for the DADA job. Almost idly, he wondered if he should Firecall Severus and inform him that he need not spend the day searching for the Snake Tamer—it was clear, wihtout a doubt, that the man sat here before him. The huge snake draped over his shoulders as easily as a feather boa gave proof to that. Deep emerald watched him back, the walls in his eyes mirroring the snake's pale violet as the man played on the near-lost laws of wizarding custom—when you were plying host a stranger, if they gave their name first, you would have full rights to escort them out if that's what you wanted. If you gave your name first, however, you had to entertain them until they had at the very least explained their business, and even then you were pushing it. A minute later, Albus smiled.

"Wonderful job, my friend. Not many have followed custom, much less waited so long. I assume you know my name is Albus Dumbledore. May I inquire as to yours?" White teeth flashed in a quirk of the lips that passed for a smile as the man bowed slightly, though he remained sitting.

"Certainly, Headmaster. My name is Damein Raven. I stumbled across your gameskeeper last night as he was drunk; after several minutes of trying to get an intelligent answer, I learned he worked here at Hogwarts. As I brought him to an Auror that could return him here, he told me you were having some difficulty in finding a Defense teacher. I thought I'd come to see if I could help. Defence has always been my favorite subject." Albus chuckled softly.

"Thank you for returning my gameskeeper in one piece. Hmm… Damien Raven… a strange name." Damien only smiled politely, taking no offense at the comment as the man continued.

"Yes, we are in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. In fact, I have a test right here to see if you can fufill the job." Damien waited patiently as he rummaged in the desk for a minute before coming up with a packet that he handed to the younger man. Damein read the first few questions, then looked with a raised eyebrow at the Headmaster.

"What type of soap do I prefer, lilac or rose?" An impish grin crossed the old man's face.

"Now now Mr. Raven, your time is ticking away." With a chuckle, Damien began to fill out the test, a mixture of DADA questions and other seemingly random questions.

Thirty minutes later, he set the pile of parchments on the desk.

"Here you are sir." Dumbledore picked them up and read it quickly, a smile on his face. With a wide grin, he placed the test back on the table.

"Well Mr. Raven, you are most qualified. If you don't mind me asking, where did you learn?" Damien smiled, a faint longing look escaping the mask on his eyes.

"I was taught by my family. I'm afraid I cannot tell you who they are—we've been secret for years, and I swore I would not give them away." Dumbledore nodded in acceptence, and rang a soft silver bell. There was a moment's silence, and an ancswereing trill floated towards them as Fawkes flew in. Damien smiled as the phoenix circled the room once, then landed on the tall man's knee. Emerald met soft crimson as they stared at each other. About a minute later, Fawkes gave a cheerful trill and butted Damien's hand. Chuckling, he stroke the bird's head as Dumbledore smiled.

"Welcome to the staff Mr. Raven. I look forward to seeing the classes you will teach." Damien chuckled again as Fawkes fluttered over to his perch, and stood.

"Thank you sir—or should I say, Albus," he said, as the Headmaster opened his mouth to correct the other. Albus grinned and called to thin air.

"Minerva!" Minutes later, McGonagall approached the door, looking in.

"Ah, there you are. Please show our new Defence teacher his rooms, my dear. I believe you know the ones?"

"Yes Albus." She smiled at him and led the way through the castle towards the dungeons. She halted in front of a tall painting. A room far to familiar to him was portrayed, as well as four very familiar people. The Founders grinned down at them from the Practice Room, where they had spent much of their time. Minerva smiled and turned to Damien.

"The password is currently Sugar Quills. Before I leave you, in case Albus forgot, do you have everything you need?" Damien smiled charmingly at her.

"Yes, thank you." She smiled and left, almost running, but remembering her dignity at the last moment. Grinning, Damien turned to the portrait and smiled.

"Sal, wake up." The man in green, who had been resting on a couch, shot straight up. The other three Founders and Damien burst out laughing. After calming down and returning sneer for sneer, Damien asked his question.

"Is it possible to Move here? I left Karal and Hedwig and my stuff back in the Alley. And how do I change the password?" The grumpy black-haired man glared, but did answer.

"Moving should work—I doubt any wards added can block it, since no one knows of it. And just tell us the new password."

"Draken Tears." The picture swung outwards, and Damien entered.

A minute or two later, after the original examinaiton of the suite (A/N: Make up your own, I'm feeling lazy.), Damien returned to the living room and sat on the large sofa. He focused on a spot on the floor, closed his eyes, and _twisted_ something. There was an annoyed squall and hoot as Hedwig and Karal appeared, fluttering madly before they dropped to perch on the trunk beneath them. Damien chuckled and opened one of the windows with a wave of his primary wand, the rowan wood and basilisk venom one.

"Sorry Karal, Hedwig. Can you two go to the Owlrey? No fighting, and Hedwig—try to stay hidden." With a short, sharp, mutter-like caw, the raven lifted off the trunk and swooped out. Hedwig hooted comfortingly before she followed the other out as Siltivi hissed her amusement from her head's place near his wrist. Chuckling, Damien rose and headed for the Great Hall to eat. Halfway there, he nearly ran into Severus Snape, who was stalking angrily towards the dungeons. Severus halted and did a double-take, then scowled.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Albus appeared at that very moment, smiling.

"Ah, Damien! I see you've met our Potions Master, Severus Snape. Severus, meet our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Damein Raven. Now, Damein, I was just on my way to make sure you could find your way to the Hall…" Albus drew the young man into a discussion as he led him froward, but not before he had glanced at Severus and his belittling sneer. Green eyes flickered for a moment before the Headmaster and Snake Tamer vanished around a corner.

Severus scowled as he paced the floor of his bed chamber. Trust the bloody old coot to 'forget' to inform him the Snake Tamer was found. Not only that, but his rooms were in _his_ dungeons! His feet followed the well-known path in the room—61 steps, 27 steps, 10 around the bed, 25 steps, and another 61. His pacing paused as the revelation struck—he was going to have to put up with another year of not getting the job he wanted!

**oOo**

Damien shifted restlessly in his seat between McGonagall's empty chair and Sprout at the Head Table, watching the 2nd through 7th year students enter the Great Hall. Siltivi lifted her head from the table and met his green with pale violet, hissing softly.

/Calm yourssself Harry. You will be fine./ He grinned slightly; even though he couldn't answer, it was nice to hear a friendly voice. Several minutes later, the Doors swung open to admit the first years and Minerva. The Hat opened its mouth to sing, and the stern woman began the Sorting when it was done.

As students ran to the different tables, he clapped, though he was watching a certain group of 2 seventh years and a sixth year. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked a little worse for the wear. They had evidentally taken his disappearence and presumed death hard. He hid his wince as the last first year was Sorted into Hufflepuff, and Dumbledore rose with a smile.

"Students! Welcome back, and welcome to those of you who are here for the first time! I have a few announcements to make before we begin the meal. The Forbidden Forest is, as the name states, forbidden. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has added Bopping Bees to the list of prohibited items. The full list of 726 items is available for view in his office. And, finally, it is my pleasure to introduce to you your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Damien Raven." He rose and nodded slightly in acknowledgement of the polite claps as students stared at the snake he carried. Silently, he watched as whispers broke out across the room while he sat, amusement slipping past his carefully guarded eyes.

Down at the Gryffindor table, the seventh years looked up at their new teacher. Ron blanched slightly and stared.

"…'Mione? He's got a really big snake… you don't think it's Nagini, do you?" Hermione looked up and shook her head.

"Not possible. That's definitely not You-Know-Who, and Nagini always stays with him." Ron eyed the man again, and sighed.

"I bet he was a Slytherin." Hermione frowned at her friend and began to berate him.

"Ron! You know that not all Slytherins are bad, and besides! We don't even know anything about him! This is the first we've ever seen him, of course. You can't place him in Slytherin simply because he carries a snake. After all…" She conitnued her tirade, not noticing the very man she was defending glance down at her.

Damien smiled sadly before turning to Ivy Sprout, one of the few teachers who didn't treat him with suspicion. It probably had something to do with the fact that he'd managed to find a Cendo Flower1for her the other day, much to her delight. The professor smiled at him.

"Can I do something for you Damein?" He gave a charming smile back to her.

"You could tell me what students I need to watch out for, and who I need to know of, my sweet intelligent Ivy." She laughed at his blantant, playful flattery, looking out over the Hall.

"In Ravenclaw, a second year named Carlos Dimond. He seems to be following in the footsteps of the Weasley twins." He glanced at his newest friend.

"'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' Wealsey twins?" Ivy groaned and nodded.

"Save us all, yes. Be thankful you weren't around here when they were—absolute menaces, the two of them. Anyway, Carlos from Ravenclaw. There might be one or two from my house, Hufflepuff, but the main troublemakers left last year. Gryffindor and Slytherin, now, there's your main problem houses. They have a rivalry, but probably your biggest confrontations are between Draco Malfoy, Slytherin seventh year, and Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley, Gryffindor seventh years and sixth year. Harry Potter would be in that group, if it weren't for his… disappearence… last year." She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. Siltivi lifted her head and hissed in quiet worry to the pleasant herbology teacher. Damien rested a hand on her shoulder, sending comfort.

"There now Ivy, my apologies. I didn't mean to bring it up. I don't need to know more—I assume I'll find out in my classes. Albus gave me seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins for a Double class, first thing after breakfast tomorrow. Now I wonder if he's trying to give me a migraine." The witch chuckled at his dry tone.

"Maybe you should ask Severus for a potion so you'll be prepared." Damien glanced down at the surly man, met impassive onyx eyes, winced slightly, and turned back to his friend.

"Maybe not. I'm under the impression he doesn't like me too much. The dungeons feel like a cauldron with the lid on and only the smallest posible margin of air between the top and the bubbling, boiling water inside." She laughed at his analogy, grinning.

"Yes, he can be a little oppressive, can't he? Ah well. Do your best Damien. I'm sure you'll do fine." He nodded thanks to her, and they both dug into their meals with gusto, Siltivi occasionally stealing something off his plate, much to his irritation. He looked out over the Hall again, however—he'd have his work cut out for him if he was going to keep them alive in their future, and it weighed heavily over his head. Green eyes hardened and narrowed—none of them would die if he had anything to say about it.

**oOo**

_tbc…_

**oOo**

1 Cendo Flower (in case anyone is interested) is something I made up. It's one of the more beautiful flowers in shades of blue; it is extremely rare and has only about 5 known homes. It thrives off magic and is incredibly hard to aquire because it begins to drain anyone, Muggle or Wizard, that nears it of their life force. You have to cast a complicated spell over it that will keep it from sucking magic out of something it's not supposed to, and produce a special stone that holds a type of magic that will replenish itself. I just wanted to give Sprout a pretty flower, and needed a reason for her to be a friend to Harry.

**oOo**

A/N: Phew! 15 pages! Also known as page 21 out of 51 handwritten pages. Not much to say now. Except I keep mixing up the words I want to write with the ones that I'm singing along with… That's only in this A/N though! hums

**Thanks to**:

_Fishnetfairy, Silver-Entrantress-Elf, flute9217, Rhyllen, OrganiclyMe, Xblilyia, shion20, _and _Hellfire Ashwolf. –_Thank you all for reviewing!

_Silver aingel: _(aka Krystal) I love you too! (in a completely straight way) Sorry I haven't been on, and that I didn't update this—I can't believe I lost the notebook! smacks head several times Thanks for reviewing and making me get up off my butt and look for the notebook, which is what your second review did. sheepish grin

_Uten:_ Yeah, I know the prologue was short and pretty basic. It was basically written to help get rid of the plot bunny that was plaguing me, and then it grew and grew… but I didn't want to go too far into the story until I had it written… but I wanted reactions… so I just posted the short part. Anyway, here's more, so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you think if this part decides whether it is a good story or not. Thanks for reviewing!

I'll type more later. B'bye!

Kaaera


	3. Chapter 2 Teach Us

A/N: I never should have introduced my little sister to this story. She's been bothering me forever to update this. The only reason I am is because I discovered I'm on people's alert lists, and favorite lists, and in C2s, so I decided "What the heck, even if I think it's not really that good, other people do, so let's please them."

**I would like to apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes. **I did try to catch typos and stuff as I wrote it, and I did send it to my friend who went back and fixed all the other typos that I missed, but my computer refuses to do a spell check past the first three paragraphs, so there might be some that were missed by both of us.

I would also like to mention (so no one yells at me for this; I was reminded by Maria, who helped me go over this chapter, about this) that the test for Damien, specifically the question about 'lilac or rose', was gotten from/inspired by Luna the Moonmonster's Amulet of Time series. That is an amazing series and you should definitely go read it if you haven't.

Disclaimer: not mine. I just came up with the plot, but I probably got that from somewhere too and didn't know it.

For a random update: My crayfish is still alive. You have no idea what I'm talking about. Just say congratulations. The other one died. Say sorry. Then say 'yay, school is over'.

_Parseltongue _is in _italics_ (unless it's obviously an emphasis on a word, or a spell. You should be able to recognize all the spells.)

**oOo**

_Previous:_

_"Yes, he can be a little oppressive, can't he? Ah well. Do your best Damien. I'm sure you'll do fine." He nodded thanks to her, and they both dug into their meals with gusto, Siltivi occasionally stealing something off his plate, much to his irritation. He looked out over the Hall again, however—he'd have his work cut out for him if he was going to keep them alive in their future, and it weighed heavily over his head. Green eyes hardened and narrowed—none of them would die if he had anything to say about it._

**oOo**

Breakfast the next morning seemed normal—at least, until the Post began to arrive. Damien and Siltivi had been shifting uneasily all morning, unable to shake the feeling that something was going to happen.

Karal dropped off a letter to Damien, who picked it up and read it carefully. He blancehd slightly before sighing and looking towards the doors as the owls began to stream out of the room. A minute or so later, the doors opened, admitting Fudge and a large group of Aurors. The Minister stalked angrily up the Hall to the head Table, where he stared at Albus, livid.

"Is this true Dumbledore?" The old man looked calmly at the Minister.

"Is what true, Cornelius? After all, there is a lot of things that are true in the world." Fudge's eyes seemed to bulge slightly in his rage.

"That you admited the Snake Tamer, accused of Dark Magic, to join your staff!" Before Albus could reply, a deadly hiss from Siltivi drew his attention to the very same Snake Tamer he was screaming about. Damien's voice held contained danger when he spoke to the shocked man in front of him, standing up slowly.

"One has to wonder, Cornelius Fudge, where you learned of my nickname—after all, it's only used in Knockturn Alley. What would the Wizarding World's esteemed Minister of Magic be doing in such a place?" He continued to speak, ignoring the expression of the Minister.

"In response to the second accusation, how can one be expected to become a Master of the Defence without knowing all there is of what you are defending against? If I'm not mistaken—which I'm not—then your Aurors have learned some of the 'Dark Magic' in order to properly defend against it, haven't they?" One of the Aurors nodded, and Damien grinned, a purely predatorial grin, as he walked around the table to stare at the Minister, Siltivi draped over his shoulders with her fangs bared.

"For that matter, one must wonder how much their Minister knows of the Dark Magics, shouldn't they?" A wicked smile danced over his cold face as the pudgy man blanched.

"You refused to tell the World of Voldemort's return, despite all that Harry Potter had said. You cheered when the boy disappeared; you cheered for your Master, Death Eater." With a swift, unstoppable movement, Fudge's sleeve was gone, baring the ugly Dark Mark to the world. With a jolt, the Aurors leapt into movement, grabbing and arresting the one who would soon be an ex-Minister. With an unnoticed sigh of relief, Damien returned to his seat and his meal, firmly ignoring all stares sent his way. A few minutes later, he completed his meal and left for his classroom, whistling slightly.

**oOo**

Severus watched the newest professor leave, with a thoughtful expression on his face. Everything the man had said had been true—to become a true Master, one needs the skills in both the good and the bad of the subject. And he had been able to do what hundreds and thousands of witches and wizards, including himself, could not do—discover that Cornelius Fudge was truly a Death Eater.

He glanced down the Head Table and fixed a glare on Albus, who had the twinkle set to full power in his eyes. With a freezing scowl, he too left the Great Hall.

**oOo**

Damien sat silently at his desk, listening with concealed amusement as Karal, who was perched by the window, and Siltivi, in her customary position around his shoulders, argued over one of their more trivial points—whether or not Karal had to stay in the Owlery. They fell silent as the first students began to file in, until finally all of the Gryffindor and Slytheirn 7th years were inside the room and in desks.

He stood up from his desk, Siltivi shifting slightly, and looked out over the faces he knew so well, and yet not at all. With a soft sigh, he began to call roll. Once all the students had been marked present (he looked with faint sorrow at the crossed out 'Harry Potter'), he looked at the students again and shook his head.

"No, this will not do. Please, pick up your bags and move to the walls. The seats you will be assigned will be your seats until furthur notice." With some looks of trepidation among the Gryffindors and sneers among the Slytherins, they all did as he asked. With that, he took the roster and began to 'randomly' choose names.

"Mr. Malfoy, front row left seat please. Ms. Granger, sit on his other side. Mr. Zabini, on Ms. Granger's side, and Mr. Longbottom, final seat in the row." So it continued until the students were seated like a Sltyerhin/Gryffindor checkerboard. Ron Weasley was seated in about the middle of the room, next to Greg Goyle. Satisfied, Damien replaced the roster on his desk and lifted a stack of parhment from his desk. Some of the students gained nervous glances, but he merely raised an eyebrow.

"These are small tests, quizzes, exams, whatever you wish to call it, to see what you already know and what we need to cover." With a slight smile, he handed out the tests and returned to his desk to write on a piece of parchment.

At the end of the first half of the class, Damien looked up at a hiss from Siltivi and glanced at the time. He nodded and stood, drawing the attention of the class. As he looked them over, a few tried to hide the papers they'd been reading or working on under the desk, their mostly finished tests on top. With a wave of his wand, all the tests arranged themselves on the desk.

Damine looked at his class with a slight frown and picked up one of the papers, reading it quickly. With a soft sigh, he replaced it on the pile and sat on the edge of his desk.

"Can anyone tell me what you know of the Patronus Charm? Yes, Ms. Granger." Hermione beamed at being chosen, and began.

"The Patronus Charm is the spell used to drive off Dementors and Lethifolds. The incantation is _Expecto Patronum_. The power behind the spell is the happy memory you put behind it—the happier the memory, the more powerful the spell. It takes the form of an animal you see as a protector." Damien smiled.

"Two points to Gryffindor. A Dementor is most often associated with this spell as it is made of pure joy, something the Dementors try to destroy. Please follow me outside for a moment." The class tropped outside to the large empty area between the lake and the castle. Karal flew out the window of the DADA classroom to land on the nearest tree branch, flipping his wings to rest on his back.

Damien twirled his wand slightly, pointed it at an empty patch of ground, and thought of the moment when he realized the Founders were his family.

"_Expecto Patronum._" Silver erupted from his wand, forming into an enormous snake creature. Hermione and Ron drew back with the rest of the class as they stared at the huge basilisk. Damine spoke calmly to the students.

"No need to worry. As a Patronus, a basilik's gaze cannot hurt you—not that this one would be able to anyway. This is the symbol of my father. If you look, you will notice that she has no eyes, but is blind." Indeed, where the eyes would have been was simply scales, just like the rest of the body. The Patronus turned her sightless head to face him and was dismissed with a fond smile and a twist of the wrist. He turned back to the startled students.

"It doesn't matter what size your patronus is, only the power of the memory behind it. Now, pair up with your desk partner and try the charm." Obediently, the students paired off. Draco Malfoy, however, glared at Hermione.

"I will not work with a Mudblood, and a Gryffindor at that!" Ron turned a bright red, lifting his wand, as Hermione flushed angrily. Several students gasped as Draco spoke. Siltivi hissed, head rising, and Karal cawed, wings flapping harshly, as Damien seemed to grow taller and walked over to the aristocrat.

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy? And, pray tell, why not?" The blonde looked slightly stunned at being asked, as no one had ever asked him to explain himself before.

"Because she's a Mudlbood! That's why Slytherin left the school. And, she's a Gryffindor, when Gryffindor was the one who opposed Slytherin the most!" An amused smile seemed to flit across Damien's face for a moment, before it returned to its cool, impassive mask. He raised a condescending eyebrow.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, I think that it's time you learn the whole story." All of the students edged closer, Patronus forgotten in light of this new development.

"My family had recently acquired a record of Salazar Slytherin, written in the man's own handwriting. It explained that he feared for their lives if they brought witches and wizards to the attention of Muggles, even only those who had Muggleborns. When he could not convince the others of what he saw as their downfall, he left the school. A few years later, he saw that his beliefs were untrue, but his pride would not allow him to return. It was when he was nearing the last years of his life that the other three finally overcame their pride and apologised, which in turn allowed him to also confess his failure to adapt. Unfortunately, since the four disappeared shortly after, that was never brought to the Wizarding World's attention." He glanced down at Draco with that raised eyebrow still in place.

"Therefore, it shows your House prejudice as a failure and your pureblood pride as a stumbling block. If I hear of any more confrontations, I will deal with it the way I've been trained." He fingered his wand with a slightly feral smile. Before Draco could do more then glup and nod, Siltivi hissed again and Damien checked the time with a quick spell. With a soft sigh, he smiled at the class.

"There's a few minutes before class ends. Be prepared to practice the Patronus next time. Return to the classroom and get your bags; you are dismissed." Turning from the class, he held out a hand to Karal. The inky raven fluttered to his hand and cawed cheerfully, causing a smile as the teacher followed his students into the stone hallways of Hogwarts.

**oOo**

Damine smiled up at the four Founders that guarded his rooms, grinning when Rowena pulled Salazar and Godric apart and out of their brawl. Helga waved.

"How are you Damien? Is everything going alright?" Damine chuckled and nodded.

"Everything's fine here. Sal, I had to give the rest of your story to the Slytherin and Gryffindor 7th years. I won't tolerate prejudice, and nothing else would've stuck." The other black haired man nodded.

"Understandable. Thank you for letting me know." With a smile, Damien whispered the password and slipped inside to prepare for dinner.

**oOo**

Dumbledore looked up as Damien entered, his eyes narrowed slightly in thought. He had heard of the Patronus and the story of Salazar Slytherin through Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley. He had also checked, but seen no symbol or crest of any family that contained a sightless basilisk. After that, he had questioned the portrait of Salazar Slytherin in the painting before Raven's rooms, but had only been told 'I did keep journals of my entire life. Damien could very well have stumbled across one.'

Now, as he watched this man enter the Hall, he again had to wonder—just who is this man, how powerful is he, and who is his family?

Emerald green met cerulean blue and Damien Raven smiled, eyes holding many secrets which seemed to glitter in the dark. It was gone a minute later, leaving him to take his seat with a wide grin towards Ivy. The other professor returned it.

"Well? How was your day you hooligan?" Damien groaned and put a hand to his head.

"Let's just say that I never again will yell at my family for their teaching methods if I was anything like my students." She laughed and patted him on the arm, a few centimeters below the uniterested Siltivi's tail.

"It gets easier. First days and first impressions are always hard." He made a face.

"Don't I know it. I've done enough first impressions to last me a lifetime." He glared when Sprout began to laugh.

"I'm glad you find my misfortune so amusing." He glared for a moment more while she kept laughing, before sighing and turning to his food, eating his dinner while waiting for her to stop the laughing fit.

As he ate and waited, he thought back to his seventh year class. As he saw Salazar as more of a father then James Potter (though he couldn't blame the other man; it wasn't his fault he died), he had been telling the whole truth when he claimed the blind basilisk was the symbol of his father.

When Salazar had returned to his fellow Founders, he had been ashamed, and so changed his crest. Instead of the four proud snakes that had once formed an SS inside a circle, there was now a blind basilisk in an M. The basilisk resembled Salazar, who had often been accused of 'death glares'. She was blind, born without eyes, to represent his failure to see the truth of the Muggles and Muggleborns—hence, the M shape. Damine always found that crest more suiting than the original.

Smiling, he though back to his other classes. The rest of his 7th years had been easy—he gave the same test, demonstration, and explanation to them, therefore keeping all four Houses on the same level. After that, he made sure to give the same explanation to the other years after the test and a demonstration of either the Shielding Spell or the Disarming Hex, depending on the level.

A few minutes later, he looked up from his thoughts to turn to Ivy, who had just poked him with a fork.

"What?"

"I'm done laughing now. Can you tell me how the rest of your day was? What are you going to teach them?" Damien's voice turned serious.

"The only class that seems to know anything about the Unforgivables is the 7th years, and even their knowledge of them is not what it should be. None of the other years know anything about them beyond the name and an idea behind it. The younger years seem to be close enough to up-to-date, but the older years are behind. The 7th years are at best at the level of 5th years; I'm surprised they passed their O.W.L.s! I'm going to have my work cut out for me with them." Ivy Sprout pursed her lips slightly and nodded.

"The teachers we had for the 7th years' first through fourth years, except for third year, were real imbeciles. It's only been recently that we got John Aldar, who did his best to teach them what they needed to know, but he had to leave to help the Aurors. Just do what you can, and do what any teacher does." He sent her an inquiring glance. She looked out towards the cheerful, chattering students with a sad smile.

"Hope it's enough." They were silent for a moment before she changed the subject, which he gladly responded to.

**oOo**

The next day, Damine waited in his classroom for the Gryffindor/Slytherin 7th years. All the desks were pushed to the sides, leaving an empty place in the room.

_"You'd better try to be the encouraging teacher today Damien, or they shall all think you evil for the rest of the year."_ Damien chuckled.

_"Yes, I suppose I should, shouldn't I. That's not the impression I want." _He stopped talking as the first footfalls sounded in the hall. The students came in talking softly among themsleves, some mentioning their happy memories. As they entered the room, Damien smiled.

"Please place your bags along the wall and come stand in the middle of the room—yes, that's right Miss Granger, thank you—no, Mr. Longbottom, please leave your toad by the bags as well." Neville looked up from where he was attempting to stuff the toad in his pocket.

"But sir, Trevor will get away from me again if I leave him alone. I only just found him again today." Damien smiled.

"Well then, as you cannot take care of him while attempting the Patronus—working around familiars is something we might touch upon—we'll just put him—Trevor, did you say?—on my desk. Siltivi and Karal will make sure that he does not run away." He placed a guiding hand on Neville's back and steered him to the large desk. Neville carefully placed Trevor on the center of the desk. Damien lightly lifted the huge snake over his shoulders to the desk below as Karal fluttered down from the rafters. Both examined the smaller toad for a minute before all three turned to watch the class.

Damien turned, his hair swinging around quickly as he did so. A deep, jagged scar on the back of his neck flashed momentarily, before being covered again by the layer of hair. A few of the student's eyes widened. It was Ron Weasley who asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Professor Raven?"

"Yes Mr. Weasley?"

"How did you get that scar, the one on your neck?" A wry smile hovered at the edge of his face as he touched it lightly.

"I disobeyed my teacher in the worst possible way, and had to pay the price." It was true—Godric had told him over and over not to touch the blades in the Armory unless one of the Founders were there. In a fit of rebellion, he had ignored the warning. The blades had come alive and struck what would have been a death blow if Helga hadn't come in that exact moment. Godric had been furious, and had demanded that the scar remain as a lesson. It hadn't been until his last two years that they had taught him the spell to keep the weapons inanimate when he entered. He shook himself out of the reminising mood and smiled at the students.

"Now, please take out your wands, focus on your happy memory, and say 'Expecto Patronum'. Please do remember that this spell is very advanced, and if you get a mist, you have made progress. Begin." The room was filled with several voices as a few silvery mists sprang up in the room. Damien allowed them to continue for about five minutes before he stopped the class. His green eyes grew solemn as they looked back. He raised his wand.

"Very good. However, you will eventually need to know how to react in the presence of a Dementor. This might provide a little motivation." With a quick swish, the room darkened and chilled as a tall, imposing robed figure approached the students. Damine's voice broke them out of their shock.

"Cast the spell!" With a jump, several began casting. There was a sudden increase of power, detected by Damien, in one corner. A large silvery raven Patronus arrowed at the Dementor, who dissolved. Damiens miled at the unconscious play on his name as the young Mr. Malfoy looked at the raven that bowed its head before disappearing. Siltivi hissed her amusement.

_"He already, consciously or not, views you as a protector."_ Damien smiled, though he couldn't answer her.

"Very good Mr Malfoy; twenty points to Slytherin and please remain after class for a moment. Now, as you recall, Mister Malfoy's Patronus charged the Dementor, which caused it to fade away." With a swish of his wand, the desks were back at the middle of the room, with all the bags at their owner's feet.

"Please take out your quills and take notes." There was a flurry of activity as the class prepared.

**oOo**

As the rest of the class stampeded for the door, Draco Malfoy approached the man carefully. Damien, sitting behind the desk, cast an anti-eavesdropping spell on the room and motioned for him to sit. He did so under the stern gaze of Karal, and the measuring gazes of Damien and Siltivi. The 24 year old spoke first.

"Mr. Malfoy, was that your first time casting the Patronus?" Slowly, studying the professor to see what he wanted, Draco nodded.

"It was."

"Ah." He paused momentarily.

"Mr. Malfoy, I have a very serious question to ask you. Please answer it truthfully; no matter what you say, I will not harm you. Mr. Malfoy," he leaned forward, "do you want to become a Death Eater?"

**oOo**

_Chapter End_

**oOo**

A/N: that might be my first successful cliffhanger. Anyway, shall leave you to stew over that while I convince myself that I do have to go back and do a manual spell check because this computer is stupid. Please let me know of any major spelling mistakes or typos that take away from the story!

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**OrganiclyMe**, **Mika** (because it was eight years for Harry, but only 2 for everybody else.), **shadow of the black abyss**, **Black-Raven3**, **shion20** (as my sister informed me, it's been a while again. Sorry!), **Xblilyia** (did I really? Oops. At some point I'll have to go back and fix that… until I do, pretend that either she didn't say that, or that he eventually told her the whole story. Thanks for letting me know!), **emikae**, **maddy143ded** (I did send you an email that said I'd never read that story, as far as I knew, and that it was going completely differently from that one, right? And you didn't offend me. –just freaked me out for an hour because I was so worried the email didn't reach you or something and that I was going to get reported.--), **Night-Owl123**, **Yuna31**, **Allyanna** (lol, any reviews are wonderful!), **Shadowed Rains**, **HecateDeMort** (I just tried to capitalize the H four times in your name, and kept getting a lowercase one because my finger would lift off the Shift key before I hit the H. ), **Lady Smoothie** (Stop making me blush. I do not write 8 times better then you can. I like your story better then mine! –maybe we should trade, if we like each other's better. D-), **ApocSM** (hey, someone else does random spanish in their review! Now I don't feel so strange. D thanks!), **ScrewyLouie12**, **falconsfan**, **USA-Jeanette** (eventually-not-really-on-purpose. But you didn't hear it from me. Oh, and no, OotP did not occur; I had this whole story written in the notebook before the 5th book came out. D), **Prongs Luver** (Yes, poor them… feel sort of bad for them. The rest of me is wearing devil horns and tail and pitchfork and cackling evilly. Mwuahahahaha!), **Bloodless Ace**, **Eowyn23**, **Dragon Shadow **(I think I know you. Are you blonde, talkative, and related to me?), **Red Jeanie**, **foxychibi**, **Sirenia**, **porcupineapple** (how did I do on the lessons?), and **bookfanatic84**. Thanks again! You guys gave me 27 reviews! That's one more then from Picture A Pirate. D

_Looking forward to more reviews, in which you guys discuss what the world government should be if the penguins attacked from outerspace and killed all adults over the age of 25. This occurred after the 3rd world war, caused by an argument between China and the US over the ping pong ball trade. (This was my world history essay question for the final. Interested in your answers. D)_

Buh-bye now!

Kaaera

**Note from Maria: In chapter 2, the test Harry has to take to get approved for being a teacher: "What type of soap do I prefer, lilac or rose?" You got that from Amulet of Time, didn't you? P**


	4. Chapter 3 The Battle

A/N: It's been a while, but I finally got myself around to typing this up. I would like to mention that I've been home maybe two weeks total since school ended, but hey—at least I'm getting it written. (and before I go away for 3 weeks, too! So yeah, there will be about a 3 week disappearance by me as I go visit grandparents and have little to no computer access.)

Everyone thank **FalconMistress17**, whose review got me up and made me decide to update this before I left for vacation. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, unfortunately, or you wouldn't be waiting for my fanfiction, but for the books.

_Parseltongue_ is italics unless obviously an emphasis or a spell.

**oOo**

_Previous:_

_"Mr. Malfoy, I have a very serious question to ask you. Please answer it truthfully; no matter what you say, I will not harm you. Mr. Malfoy," he leaned forward, "do you want to become a Death Eater?"_

**oOo**

The shock on the boy's face made it obvious that he was not expecting that question, and words fell forth before he could stop them.

"No! The Dark Lord's whole idea is stupid, and he's a raving lunatic who can be bested by a one year old babe!" His eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth. Damien laughed.

"Mr. Malfoy, that's exactly what I hoped to hear. Now I need to ask you another question—does your father plan on initiating you anyway?" Draco looked down at his hands.

"I… I believe so."

"What would you say if I offered protection from both Voldemort and your father?" Draco stared at the man for a moment, his eyes flickering warily.

"Protection how?" Damien shrugged.

"You wouldn't have to go home over the break, Lucius Malfoy won't be allowed on the grounds, and Voldemort would be foolish to come here." Draco hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes. Thank you." With a smile, Damien picked up a piece of paper and handed it to the Malfoy heir.

"Tell your next teacher that I had a few questions for you. And Draco—" the blonde looked over from his place halfway out the door. "Thank you."

Slight grins on their faces, Draco Malfoy hurried to his next class and Damien Raven shuffled through the papers on his desk to find the essays he had yet to mark.

**oOo**

Two months later, in the middle of November, Damien finally received permission from the Ministry to teach his seventh year class about the Unforgivables. The red and green houses entered, with only faint remnants of their old rivalry remaining. They had learned that he did not tolerate it in his class, and had acted accordingly. Eventually, that lack of hostility had become second nature to most. Today they sat down under the completely serious face of their Professor.

"In under a year, you will be leaving these halls and going out to continue your life. Voldemort is at large, as are his Death Eaters. Therefore, we must do as much as possible to prepare you. As you all know, we have spent the last two months stuffing your head full of what you should have learned up to your seventh year. Now you need to learn of the Unforgivables." He looked around the room.

"These three spells are some of the Death Eaters favorite curses to use. However, I must clarify something for you. **These spells are not evil.** There is no such thing as an _evil_ spell. There is Light and Dark magic, yes, but this has nothing to do with 'good' or 'evil'. A spell is classified as Light or Dark depending on its most common use. Spells used in duels and wars are classed as Dark, offensive or defensive. Spells used around the home or for every day occurrences are classed as Light. The intention of a spell is what makes it good or evil.

For example, the Killing Curse. The Killing Curse can be used to give a seriously injured person a fast and painless death, when they might otherwise be in serious pain for an extended period of time. Can anyone give me an example of a Light spell that could be used in an evil way? Yes, Mr. Longbottom." The Gryffindor looked nervous.

"Wingardium Leviosa could lift a person out a high window or off a cliff so they dropped to their death…" Damien smiled.

"Correct; three points to Gryffindor. Now, I understand that you've had a lesson or two on the Unforgivables? Since that is the case, I will simply teach you better defense. First of all, for the Imperius curse—as soon as you begin to feel a pleasant feeling, you must tell yourself that it's not real. Focus on that thought, and the curse will snap. Under the Cruciatus, if you can retain your state of mind, you can discover a way to channel the pain out of your body—for example, through a fingertip or the top of your nose, by simply believing it is escaping through that body part. Finally, there is a chance to survive the Killing Curse. Speculation of how Harry Potter survived the curse is plentiful, but what seems to be the most plausible is that he 'dug' his spirit's fingers into his body. If this is managed, the curse will either dissipate or rebound upon the caster." He looked at the students with a weary smile.

"I'm not going to casting the curses on you. Tonight, while in your bed, try these methods without the curses cast. Dismissed." He turned away as they left, taking his seat. Once all the students had left, Siltivi slithered to the desk, hissing lightly.

_That went well._ Damien chuckled lightly.

_I guess it did. It's going to be difficult, though._ The snake merely twined her head around his upraised arm.

**oOo**

During the Christmas break, Damien cleared an afternoon in his schedule and Jumped. He grinned at Salazar, who was waiting for him.

"How've you been, Sal?" The Slytherin founder grinned a little.

"Ah, just fine. You, scrap?" Damien's face darkened slightly.

"Voldemort hasn't been doing much lately—I'm getting worried. Just keep an eye out, ok Sal?" The ancestor nodded grimly. The moment, however, was ruined when Helga rushed in with a big hug for the younger man. Laughing, Damien hugged her back, doing the same for Rowena and a handshake for Godric when the two entered. Helga led Damien to a nearby couch and sat next to him.

"So how is little Draco coming along?" Damien smiled.

"He doesn't want to be a Death Eater." The others heaved a sigh of relief.

"Good; that's wonderful." They fell into quiet conversation, catching up with each other and making plans.

**oOo**

February 18th dawned a chilly day. All morning and afternoon, students could be seen on the property wearing heavy cloaks over their robes. Damien was visibly on edge all day—and he wasn't alone. Dumbledore noted that the snake and raven seemed edgy, as well as the other familiars and animals in the castle. He couldn't figure out the reason until everything came to a head at dinner.

Damien was sitting next to Albus at dinner when he felt it—the wards around Hogwarts dissipated. Beside him, Dumbledore stiffened and reacted.

"Students! Hogwarts is being attacked. Please remain calm and follow these directions. First years through sixth years, to the back of the Hall! Seventh years, please stay right inside the door. Teachers, with me!" Everyone responded quickly, a massive flux of children running to the back. When the teachers reached the door, they found the seventh years waiting there—every single one. Several of the Gryffindors were staring in shock at the Slytherins, who ignored them and watched Draco as he approached the teachers. The blonde Slytherin leader nodded curtly to Dumbledore and the professors.

"Headmaster. Sirs. Madams." He then turned to Damien, who was smiling slightly while looking at the Slytherins.

"Professor Raven. You told me that Voldemort would be foolish to come here. We look forward to seeing that be the truth." A thin grin darted over the dark-haired man's face.

"I think we'll be able to. Draco—watch out for the little ones." Severus Snape stared at the man who had somehow known that Draco and the others were not going to be Death Eaters—something not even Severus himself had been sure of. Before he could do more then think that, however, Albus exited the Hall, all the teachers with him. Moments later, they were arranged in a half-circle outside, right in front of the closed doors. Albus stood in the middle, with Damien on one side and Minerva on the other.

Pops began to echo in the air as Death Eaters Apparated in. Immediately, the teachers began firing spells. The Death Eaters were momentarily surprised, but quickly gathered themselves together and returned the spells.

Some of Damien's attention shivered for a moment, which gave a few Death Eaters a chance to slip inside. As Voldemort appeared, something changed.

Everyone turned to look as a voice that was not Damien's, but older and wiser, boomed across the field from the forbidding form of Damien Raven.

"Tom Marvelo Riddle, thee of Slytherin blood. Hearken to what I, Salazar Slytherin, sayeth to thee. I hate thee and wouldn't picketh thou as my Heir even if thee were the only one left! I've been trying to get this across to thou for 37 years, at least! I disowneth thou from my bloodline. Damien Raven Slytherin, I release thee. Destroy that which hath staineth the family name!" Damien blinked suddenly, stance shifting to a defensive crouch. He stared at Voldemort for a minute before speaking, even as everyone else on the battleground froze and fell silent.

"Well Tom, you heard the ancestor. So how does it feel to be a disowned halfblood?" Voldemort's reptilian face twisted slightly in rage.

"How dare you take the title that should be mine! I'm fulfilling Salazar's dream, his hatred of Mudbloods!" Damien looked at Voldemort almost sadly as Siltivi appeared at his feet, fangs stained red, and Karal flew down to rest on his shoulder. The man's voice grew quieter, but still as clear.

"Salazar Slytherin didn't hate Muggleborns, Tom, he feared for the Muggleborns' lives if the Muggles ever found out about their magic. Times were different from now. Go face your dead innocents and discover just what Muggles can do when angry or fearful." The imposing figure took one step, launched at the other's body, and shoved a long dagger into Voldemort's heart. He stared impassively as the Dark Lord died, this time for good—there was no Slytherin blood left in him to help keep him alive.

Several shouts tore from the throats of fifty Death Eaters as they turned their wands upon Damien. Before a spell could be fired, pure chaos broke. Yells of pain started at the Forest's edge, moving outward as thestrals, snakes, centaurs, wolves, and hundreds of other creatures fought tooth and nail against those who had threatened their home and then the descendant of one of the Founders. A few unicorns, with brightly shining faeries clinging to their manes, trampled their way through the dark shapes until they reached the Slytherin Heir. The four faeries let go of the manes, flying over to Damien and flashing different colors in agitation. He smiled lightly.

"Thank you friends. I'm all right now. I assume you were waiting with the others?" One flashed bright green and he laughed.

"Salazar would have, wouldn't he? I'd better stop them before they kill them all, I suppose—we need to question some of the Death Eaters." One flashed deep yellow in amusement as Damien turned towards the Forest creatures. He took a deep breath and let out a series of trills, whistles, and hisses. Instantly the animals formed threatening circles around the Death Eaters.

Three thestrals separated from the group. Two began to methodically trample over those on the ground to make sure they were really dead. The third approached Damien and stood before him. One arm lifted silently, bare of sleeve. The thestral lowered its head and lightly closed its teeth over the faint scars of another thestral's bite.

Damien smiled and let out another series of sounds before turning to Dumbledore and the rest.

"Albus—I am sorry I cannot stay, but I will not be gawked at as a hero, like your precious Boy-Who-Lived. And if he ever returns, you would be wise not to try to manipulate him. He would not like it. As for a DADA teacher, find Remus Lupin. Werewolves are some of the best teachers in the subject, regardless of the prejudices." He glanced to the Death Eaters, then back to the Headmaster.

"The animals will move when you are ready to take custody of the Death Eaters. Hurt one creature, and all of them will turn on you. It would be in your best interests not to push them too far." Sharp green eyes caught onyx black.

"Severus. Tell Draco that I'm proud of him, and that I will be there if he needs me." With that, he swung up onto the back of the thestral and both disappeared, despite all on the field having seen death.

**oOo**

_Chapter End_

**oOo**

A/N: It's only about half as long as last chapter, but a lot happened in this one and we're almost done. One more chapter after this, maybe an epilogue, and that's it. So sad. Anyway, like I said at the top, this is it for 3 weeks while I'm on vacation. I've only got another hour or so before I have to get off, so that's also why it's shorter. --

Thank you everyone for your reviews and support!

**Bloodless Ace, Eowyn23, shadow of the black abyss, HecateDeMort, bandgsecurtiyaw, Dragon Shadow, Alie26, methoslover, Sukera, andy-may, Lady-Slytherin-Warrior **(for ch. 2 and 3!)**, tomboy101, Lyfe.exe, pinkharry, mspotter, Rkhiara, The Lady Reaper of the Shadows, C.F.Evangel, Bobboky, The Magic Bringer, Celestial Celestia, marietsy, Alex phoenix wing, Blue Werewolf Boy** (for ch. 1, 2, and 3! Thanks!)**, Sarah R Potter, **and** Bunny Skywalker. Also:**

**s- **Very proud of that cliffhanger. And thanks—I'll go back and fix the 'squip' and 'Damine's when I'm back from vaca. If you see any in this chapter, please let me know! (they're typos I missed when reading over it.)

**Xblilyia- **Glad you liked the basilisk! I thought so too.

**Maria-** …I guess he lived. Never really thought about it. I don't think he even ever shows up in the story, so it's up to you what happened to him! D

**Lady Smoothie** (Aerin)**-** Hmmm, I could get used to this worshipping thing… Bah. Yours is ten times better than mine! Mine's all clichés with a slight twist.

**NephyRiddle-** heh. Glad you liked it! And you should be ashamed. (j/k. It's alright, really.)

**Concrete13rose- **I'm glad you like the lessons; I was worried about them. The dealing could have been more subtle, but politics and stuff isn't my area of expertise and this is a very blunt fic. As seen above in the battle scene stuff. So…

**FalconMistress17-** I'm glad you like it! I find my not updating very often totally barbaric as well… unfortunately, it's only when hearing it from others that it actually registers. I'm a hypocrite as well—I keep telling others to update soon and then I don't. Oh well. I keep trying, even if I am very susceptible to writer's block and the bloody conversation in Picture A Pirate that won't write itself for me… gr… so anyway—I have an excuse to not update for 3 weeks, because I won't have computer access! _Goes hide in a corner so does not get things thrown._ Anyway, thanks for your review, it got me to type this up tonight.

And of course, we must thank **Joko**- I'm aware that I've only written 3 chapters in the last 7 (or so) months. However, I am very much committed to the story—there is no way I would leave it in the middle like this. While I'm slow at updating, I don't want to be like the authors that leave their stories in the middle of it. Thank you for your opinion, and for being my first 'flame' (though it was a kind of lousy flame… was disappointed, I didn't get to make fun of any spelling…) for this story, and for adding to my review count!

Thank you very much for your reviews! And thanks to those who just want to add to my hit counter instead of the review count! Every review you give me is welcomed with open arms.

Muchas gracias!

Kaaera


	5. Chapter 4 The Ending

**A/N: **Sheesh, it hasn't even been 2 months yet and I'm getting angry reviews to tell me to update. -- And in my defense, I was gone for 3 of those almost 2 months, and then school started. (but I haven't failed anything yet, so this is a good thing!)

Anyway, chapter is dedicated to 'whyshoulditellyou', who's review scared me into typing this up.

Just a note—I know last chapter happened fast. You can sort of tell I was eager to move on to other stories; the inspiration was fading fast so the chapter was very rushed in an effort to actually get the story finished. This one's kind of like that too. At some point I will go back and edit these last two chapters to flesh them out and extend the story a little more—but it won't be any major plot changes so you won't have to read them again if you don't want to.

Another note: the college here is made up. You'll see when you get there.

Disclaimer: I never said I owned Harry Potter, okay! Tell these creepy dudes to get away from me and stop waving copyrights in my face!

_Italics_ is Parseltongue.

**Bold** is telepathy-stuff.

**oOo**

_Previous:_

_"Severus. Tell Draco that I'm proud of him, and that I will be there if he needs me." With that, he swung up onto the back of the thestral and both disappeared, despite all on the field having seen death._

**oOo**

Albus was silent for a moment, as he had been since the remark about the Boy-Who-Lived. He shook his head with a sigh and turned to his staff.

"Minerva, go Fire Call Remus and see if he can get here. Severus, please go check on the students. Filius, call the Minister. The rest of you, help me with the Death Eaters please." The animals looked up as the teachers approached, and opened a space for them to enter the circles. The three named professors walked to the school, then separated in the Entrance Hall.

Severus continued into the great Hall, where he was met by the Stunned bodies of five Death Eaters, hanging motionless near the doors and wrapped up in what seemed to be seamless ropes made up of… napkins? He shook his head and looked beyond, to where the 7th years still protected the others. Wands lowered as they recognized the intruder and Severus allowed a small smile as he approached. Draco met him halfway.

"Sir, did we win?" Severus looked out at the weary children and allowed the smile to grow.

"Voldemort has been defeated and his Death Eaters captured." Ragged cheers filled the air as students turned to their neighbors and shared hugs and exuberant handshakes. Severus looked at the Slytherin before him with wry amusement as a sobbing blur latched onto him. With a sheepish look on his face, which was slowly gaining two spots of color on his cheeks, Draco turned his attention to the bush-haired Gryffindor.

"Shhhh… C'mon Hermione, it's alright… Harry would smile at you and tell you not to be so emotional." Hermione sniffed back her tears and smiled shakily at Draco.

"And you'd come over and tell him to stop being such a hero." Draco just shrugged slightly and she smiled. Then she was off again, ducking into the crowd of students to find a pair of redheads. Draco frowned suddenly and looked at Severus.

"Where's Raven?" The Potions Master sighed.

"He left after defeating Voldemort. Said he didn't want the fame. He gave me a message for you—he's proud of you, and he'll be there if you need him." Draco smiled slightly.

"Aye…" Severus turned and went out to assist with the Death Eaters as Draco began to take charge, sending the Houses to their common rooms to continue partying.

**oOo**

Damien slid off the thestral in an alley, somewhere in London. He smiled at it.

"Thank you." The creature snorted, nuzzled his neck for a moment, took a step backwards, and disappeared again. Damien pulled out his wand and concentrated for a minute. Seconds later, the air before him solidified into Muggle identification for Raven James. Included was a Masters in chemistry and a list of references for Professor James. Raven smiled, took the papers, and slid his wand away, heading for the nearest college.

**oOo**

A little magic later, and Raven was entering the Dean's office an hour or two after the chemistry professor declared he was moving to somewhere warm, like the South United States, and retired. The secretary showed him into the comfortable room. A harried-looking older man sat behind the desk, head in his hands. The name plate was simple wood with 'Dean Charles Whittmoor' in plain gold paint. Raven cleared his throat and the graying man looked up in surprise. Raven smiled slightly.

"Sorry for startling you. Your secretary let me in. I was looking for a job…" Dean Whittmoor looked interested.

"What do you teach?" Raven shrugged.

"I prefer chemistry, if possible." Charles smiled.

"I just lost my chemistry professor. What's your name, and can I see your references?" Raven smiled and handed over the packet.

"Raven James, sir." Charles skimmed through the papers and handed it back.

"Welcome to Rayeth College, Mr. James."

**oOo**

Severus Snape glared out at the students at the new Sorting, about six months after Voldemort's defeat and Damien's disappearance. The man had been raised to almost godly level, the exact reason why he had left in the first place. Severus scowled. In leaving, he had left Severus to deal with the wild and cheerful students who were rejoicing their freedom in the loudest ways possible. With Damien, Severus had found someone he could talk to, who held many of his own thoughts and beliefs, including those on students who didn't try. In Damien, Severus had found a friend.

He sighed, fixed a scowl on his face (it wouldn't do to suddenly change his attitude—might cause a few heart attacks among his students), and thought back to his 'extracurricular activity'—searching for Damien Raven. He had a few leads he wanted to look into…

**oOo**

Raven James, Rayeth College's Chemistry professor of a little less then one semester, grinned at his friend and drinking buddy, Alex Hudson, Biology professor. The two science men were well known at the college as brilliant, if a little odd, so they were often forgiven for the strictness of their classes. Outside of class, however, they were regulars at a nearby bar where many of the student worked and went. The bar, called The Second World, was a well-lit and respected establishment, unlike some others. Every Friday night, the Second World would allow students and others to provide the entertainment, which tended to draw larger crowds.

Alex grinned back from his seat at the Second World on the last night they had without classes, the second semester that Raven had been here. They had become fast friends, finding in each other a fellow spirit. This Friday night, they were going to perform another of their 'famous' acts.

As Raven was lifting his glass to his mouth, about five minutes before he and Alex were to go on, a familiar face walked in. Several of the nearby fellow patrons turned, concerned, as the black haired professor began to cough. Alex leapt up, gleefully smacking his friend hard on the back.

"Breathe!" Raven glared through teary eyes as he waved his fellow professor off (and the worries of the other patrons away), as he finally managed to clear his throat.

"'M alright. Honest." Alex eyed him slightly.

"What happened? Why did you start choking?" Raven shook his head.

"Nothing. Just swallowed wrong." The biology professor frowned, but said nothing as he returned to his seat, knowing that nothing more would be coaxed out of his friend.

As Alex returned to his meal, Raven peered with deep emerald eyes at the man that had entered and taken a seat at the bar. It was rare that Severus Snape did not wear robes, but there was no way that Raven could forget the man, even after several months. Severus was sitting dejectedly, swirling a glass of liquor in one hand. Raven debated with himself over going to talk to him or not. Before a decision could be reached, Alex made one for him.

"Raven? You ok?" The man shook himself and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Alex sighed, the smiled.

"We're to get ready. They want us out as soon as possible." Raven picked up a bag from under his seat, one nearly identical to the one Alex already held. They nodded to the bartender as they went through one of the side doors.

**oOo**

Severus sighed and swirled his glass again before sipping the liquid. He didn't even know what it was—he'd just ordered the strongest this bar had. He'd skipped dinner again, pushing his detentions onto Filch, in order to check the newest leads he'd found. It was a week after the first day at Hogwarts, and he'd been searching for Damien every other night. Once again, however, he hadn't found anything. He'd discovered this bar by change and gone straight for the bar itself, to drink away his depression before he had to go back to the castle.

The dour man looked up as the lights dimmed, then came back. One of the waitresses picked up a microphone and spoke into it. She stood by a raised platform against the back wall, with a curtain hiding the 'back stage' area from view.

"Welcome back to the Second World ladies and gentlemen! As I'm sure most of you know, on Friday nights we feature anyone about 18 who would like to perform. You might have noticed two of our regulars, sitting at their table." She paused as several people began to clap. Once it died down, she continued with a grin.

"I see several of you know who I'm talking about! Please welcome our occapella duo, the scientific pair, those teachers who never get along with the English teachers; our very own Stopper of Death!" The crowd burst into cheers as she put the mike down and backed away. The curtain rippled, then billowed outward as colored fog swept onto the stage. Two tall forms materialized from the fog as it died down.

Severus spared the one on the left a moment's glance. He had dusty blonde hair and bleu eyes that peered out at he crowd, and wore a loose navy blue shirt with black trousers. The second man held the wizard's attention. Wearing a dark green shirt and identical black trousers which only matched the black hair and piercing green eyes… Those eyes turned to meet onyx and only the fact that it was currently resting on the bar kept the glass of liquor from crashing through suddenly nerveless fingers. The man he knew as Damien raven smiled somewhat sadly before looking to his partner and tapping his foot four times. They began to sing, the one on the left a base, Damien a baritone. The green eyes returned to Severus' own.

"_If you listen, you can hear_

_Just how much I miss it there._

_Hear it said, without a sound,_

_Silence all around._

_Can't you tell, can't you see,_

_I can't live with fame on me._

_Friends we'd be, if not for they,_

_Fair-weather fans of long ago._

_The months are lonely,_

_Nary a tear shall fall._

_Worked through acquaintance,_

_Through colleague into friend._

_Days of pain, passing sorrows,_

_Persevered to the end._

_Made it to friends, _

_Yet I ran away._

_The camera turned,_

_I got scared._

_Couldn't face it,_

_Ran away…_

_Couldn't face it, _

_Ran away…_

_Every day…_

_I wish I had stayed._"

The song ended and the crowd cheered as the two men got off the stage, grinning at the bartender before leaving. Severus turned to the barman.

"Who were they?" The man grinned slightly.

"Professors Alex Hudson and Raven James, biology and chemistry teachers down at Rayeth College. They come by here as often as they can. I think Raven writes the songs." Severus drained his drink, dropped some Muggle money in the waiting hand, and left. Once outside, he ducked into a dark alley and Apparated to the edge of Hogwarts' wards, moving quickly to the Headmaster's office. Severus barged into the Headmaster's office.

"Albus! I found him!" The old man looked up with a smile.

"Very good Severus. What do you want me to do about it?" Severus smirked slightly.

"Accept my resignation." Almost gleefully, he watched as Dumbledore's face showed clear surprise. Wishing he had a camera, he continued.

"I would like to go and try to figure out exactly why he left, and it would be hard to get away _and_ teach as a cat." He smirked again as Albus tried to shake himself back to the present.

"Very well then, Severus… hmm—I shall have to Fire Call Miss Granger; she'd surely enjoy teaching…" Severus sneered for a moment as the Headmaster muttered, then turned and left he office in a rush to dump his lesson plans on the desk, pack away his belongings and banish them to his manor, change to Muggle clothes, and leave.

Once past the gates, he Apparated into an alley near the school, dark eyes searching quickly for a Muggle that might have seen him. When he was satisfied that no one was there, he popped slightly into his Animagus form. The small, mostly-black cat twitched long whiskers, dark onyx examining the corners of the alley for life. A sleek tail swished, twining around the left back leg. That paw had a white stripe on it, the remnant of a scar on his human form's foot. Even now he winced slightly at the memory—a reminder of what the Whomping Willow could do. With a satisfied meow, the Severus-cat raced down the alley to the college, slipping through the gate and searching for Damien.

**oOo**

Raven chuckled at a joke Alex made as they walked out of the chemistry office, having dropped by to get the papers Raven needed to grade. Said papers were dropped on the floor as a small black cat raced for them, mewing pitifully, and leapt up into his shocked arms. The cat buried itself against him as one of the college guard dogs (of which there were a total of two, and mostly there for the few students who were studying security and security animals) came tearing around the corner, barking wildly.

Alex, shocked into action, raised two fingers to his mouth and whistled sharply. The dog stopped and turned, silent. Alex pointed to the fence, where a whistle could be heard from a gate further down. The dog turned to head back to its trainer. Alex turned back to Raven, to find him examining the ball of fur that had launched itself at him.

"Raven?" The professor looked up distractedly.

"Hmm? I'm fine. Help me with the papers, will you?" Five minutes later, the pair was once again returning to their rooms, Raven with papers in hand. This time, however, the black eyes of the cat on his shoulder stared around with bright curiosity.

**oOo**

Several students looked up in surprise as the professor that had seemed so strict the day before entered the room, absently stroking a small black cat's head. They jumped back to themselves, however, when he began to talk.

"Your assignment is on the board. We discussed it yesterday; see how well you do now that you have to do it. Begin." As they paired up and began to mix chemicals together, Raven looked down at the cat he had sat on the desk and smiled.

"So what to call you? I can't politely call you cat. I never liked being 'boy'. Hmm… Cain? Lucifer? Adrian? Dane? Snake? How about Severus?" For all of the other names, the cat had merely tilted his head and twitched his tail. At the final name, however, one paw lifted slightly in what could almost be a handshake. Raven smiled and rubbed the soft fur under the cat's chin, causing the eyes to narrow to slits of pleasure.

"Very well, Severus it is then." Before he could continue, there was a sharp explosion in the middle of the room. A pair of the students looked up, a little sheepish and a little singed. Raven's countenance changed in a flash as he thundered down on them.

"Mr. Mason and Mr. Woodward! You are not supposed to mix in hydrochloric acid until later!" He sighed and motioned to the desk.

"Clean this up, then go to the nurse and get her to check you out." He returned to his desk, reaching out to scratch his cat's head. Slowly the class began to filter out as they completed their mixtures, the lesson finished. Raven sighed as the last pair cleaned up their workspace and left, and smiled down at Severus.

"Only four more to go." Severus yawned at him and curled up on the corner of the desk. Raven chuckled and pulled out his plans for the next class.

**oOo**

Four years passed quickly. Hermione Granger discovered a love for teaching potions, while her students discovered that while only a summer out of school when she started and somewhat strict, they learned as much if not more then when professor Snape was teaching. Severus Snape learned all of Raven's habits and quirks, until he could tell you exactly what the man would do at any given time, though why you would ask the cat is another question. The students at Rayeth college grew used to the black cat that never left their professor's side. Raven James learned not to bother trying to lock his cat in the room, because he always got out again. They grew close to each other, to the point where he would speak absently to the cat about whatever was on his mind. This was how Severus finally learned who he was really living with.

Severus looked up with a yawn as Raven walked back into the living room from the bathroom. His hair was pushed back over his shoulders, dripping onto the towel draped there. Raven sighed as he began to untangle the knots.

"I'd go back to the wizarding world now if I could, you know. The fame will not have died, but I miss them all. I named you after the Potions Master, Severus Snape. He's part of the reason I don't want to go back, in a way. I enjoyed his friendship, but if I stayed, they'd eventually find out who I was and he'd hate me for it." Severus tilted his head slightly to look at Raven, highly curious now.

"Severus hated my father, and wouldn't look past it. He couldn't see Harry Potter, only James. What would he say if he knew that I was Slytherin's true Heir?" Raven, or Harry potter, looked over in worry as his cat began to choke and sputter.

"Severus? What is it? Hairball?" Severus got himself under control and went over to the suite's door, meowing softly. Raven frowned, a little worried, but opened it and let him out, closing the door only slightly so the cat could get back in. He returned to untangling his hair, still frowning.

Outside the door, Severus raced for the outside and padded into a clump of trees. There he shifted back to human for the first time in four years—he didn't need to change back in order to Apparate short distances, like he did to get out of the locked room when Raven—no, he was Harry now—tried to keep him in. He stretched cat-like before sighing and burying his head in his hands.

So Raven James and Damien Raven were both Harry potter, who just happened to be Slytherin's Heir. Severus had greatly enjoyed the company of Damien and of Raven, yet not Harry. What if the man was right? Did he really look at Harry Potter and see only James Potter? …Yes, he had.

His mind made up, Severus summoned a parchment, quill, and ink, writing a quick message. Looking around, he selected a leaf and Transfigured it into an owl. His voice was rough, due to lack of use, as he tied the letter to the bird's leg.

"Take this to Raven James when it gets dark." The owl hooted and flew up to perch in one of the branches. Severus sighed, looked around, and shifted back to the cat, walking slowly back to the suite.

Raven looked up as the door opened, then closed. Severus sat there, blinking quietly up at him, before coming over a pushing his head against Raven's leg, twining around them and purring. The man who disliked his fame smiled and obediently knelt down to pet the cat.

**oOo**

It was turning dark when Raven looked up, startled. There was another tapping at the window, where a dark form hovered. The man went to and opened the window, stepping back in shock when an owl flew in and held out a leg, looking cheerful. It was the first time in four and a half years that an owl had come near him with a letter. The cat jumped up on the table beside the bird, examined it, then turned his attention to the letter. Raven reached out and took the letter from the owl, who fluffed out his feathers proudly. He opened the letter and read it aloud.

"Raven James, Damien Raven, or Harry Potter, whatever you would like to be called: I would like you to return to Hogwarts. Your friends would like very much if you came back from the dead, Harry. I'd like to be counted among those friends, Heir of Slytherin. I think I can see past James if I try. Severus Snape." Raven smiled.

"Well Severus, what do you say we go get Siltivi, Hedwig, and Karal and bring the Snake Tamer Harry back to Hogwarts?" Severus purred and ran after him as Raven James went to hand in his resignation.

**oOo**

Siltivi hissed gleefully as she wound herself around Harry.

_"Masssster!__ I missed you!"_ Karal cawed happily as he landed on the shoulder not occupied by a resting Severus. Hedwig hooted tiredly as she landed on the nearby branch. Siltivi looked over the cat and hissed.

_"Masssster, that isss not a cat.__ That isss a human with cat-nessss, much like the lady from that cassstle."_ Harry raised an eyebrow.

_"Animagusss?"_

_"If that issss what they are called, then yessss."_ Harry sighed softly, shook his head, and Apparated.

Once at Hogwarts, he paused on the stairs and rested on hand on the stones. His question was sent to the castle.

"**Who is with me?**" She didn't answer in words, but a picture in his mind showed Severus Snape in a room shifting into the cat he had named Severus. Harry withdrew his hand and turned to place the cat on the ground.

"Are you going to change back now Severus?" The cat looked up at him for a moment, then shifted into the Potions Master. He looked at Harry, voice still harsh with disuse.

"How did you know it was me?" Harry smiled slightly.

"Siltivi told me you were a human, not a cat, and Hogwarts told me who you were. You did have me fooled for four years, Severus." They were silent for a moment.

"I did enjoy your company, Severus." A smile tugged at thin lips.

"I suppose I can say the same, Harry. After four years I know all your little habits by heart. Stop trying to avert your eyes. I told you in the letter that I wanted to be your friend." With small smiles, they turned to re-enter Hogwarts.

**oOo**

_End_

**oOo**

**A/N**: Alright? That's the end. Like I said, if I revise it, it'll just extend the last two chapters but won't really cause any plot changes.

Yes, I wrote that song in the middle. It's really bad, and I'm sorry.

I'd answer everyone's review except I'm apparently not supposed to do that, so… sorry… but I love you all for reviewing! (and apparently, you need to do a short review with caps and a 'curse' in there to get me writing again!) /huggles/ Thanks everyone for staying with me through this story, extremely slow as I am!

-Kaaera


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